Natural Gas Isn't Perfect. Shocker.

I know it's old news, but I've been ill.

Natural gas may not be as "clean" a fossil fuel as once imagined. We all know that natural gas (methane) is over 20 times as powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2, and now, a report out of Cornell shows that natural gas mining, fracking in particular, may release enough methane to make it more harmful than coal. It's safe to say that T. Boone Pickens probably wasn't too happy.

A comparison of GHG emissions from various fossil fuels over a 20 year period. From NYTimes Tom Zeller's blog post.

To me, this study doesn't render natural gas unworthy. Instead, it serves as an incentive for the industry to improve their practices so that natural gas may facilitate our move toward renewable energy.

Dishwashing: Man vs. Machine

I always held the general impression that using machines and being green were inherently incompatible. When it comes to the battle between dishwasher and man, my friends tend to agree: some said hand washing was definitely greener and some, one of which referenced the "heated dry" function, were torn. However, contrary to popular belief, manual labor, conveniently, may not be the answer.

Collin Dunn did a detailed comparison of EnergyStar dishwashers and hand washing. I've adapted some of his analysis in order to compare hand washing to conventional dishwashers. Water and energy use for hand washing was determined assuming [warm] water use equivalent to that in a dishwasher cycle. For example, 54 dishes (the typical capacity of a dishwasher) washed in 6 gallons of water (the typical amount of water consumed in a dishwasher) means that only 1.75 cups of water from the faucet can be used per dish. If fewer dishes need to be washed, say 27 dishes, then the equivalent water use would be 3.7 cups per dish.

These numbers may seem confusing. Reference Dunn's article for more detailed calculations.

Moral of the story? When you have a large number of dishes piled up, go for the dishwasher. It's usually more efficient in terms of water use. Because energy use is heavily dependent on your type of dishwasher and water heater, comparing the two is a crapshoot. If you turn off heated dry, the odds will probably strongly favor dishwashers. If you only have a few dishes and can't wait to fill up the dishwasher, hand wash them. Below are some ways you can make each method more efficient.

For dishwasher tips, go here. To learn more handwashing tips, try this site. Also, learn why pre-rinsing is bad.

There are also a bunch of studies that back up these findings (and may favor dishwashers even more). Here are a few:

Rodale.

R. Stamminger (2006) at UBonn. 

Kegs or Cans?

College students are known for their inspiring idealism and frugality. Yet, when it comes to our night (or day) time buzz, idealism fades to apathy, and frugality morphs into extravagance. Don't tell me you've never regretfully looked at your account balance on Saturday morning. But, before the buzz hits in and good judgement is still within reach, we can make decisions that  protect both our virtuosity AND our bank accounts.

Inspired by a conversation I had tonight, I decided to look into the pros and cons of cans vs a keg. It may seem like the obvious winner, on both fronts, is a keg. BUT, it's not so simple.

Yes, a keg is reusable. It can serve almost 27,000 12oz beers in it's lifetime. It's constant reuse makes it a great choice. If everyone were using glass cups or reusing Solo cups, it would be a done deal. Unfortunately, Solo cups are not only  used once but are also made of polystyrene (#6), which is next to impossible to recycle. The closest place to Evanston that picks these cups up is in Rolling Meadows (17 mi away). Check your area here.

Aluminum, on the other hand, is practically perfect. While one can requires around 8.5x more energy to produce, each recycled can saves 95% of the energy needed to make a new one. Beer by the can is also a clear winner in terms of cost and convenience (see below)

Prices are based on Keystone Light from Evanston 1st Liquors 3/01/11. Here is a comparison in terms of sustainability. Keep in mind though, that plastic is lighter than aluminum, so it will be less energy intensive to transport.

If you are planning on recycling, cans are the clear winner both Earth and pocket-wise. However, the best choice is always to brew your own beer and reuse old glass bottles. It reduces waste and transportation. If that sounds like a pain, go out and hit the tap (glasses only)!

Fish Food for the Soul

Up until the last few years, I didn't have to worry about where my fish came from because I didn't eat them. My recent affinity for our underwater friends has made me think more deeply about the sustainability, or lack thereof, of the fishing industry. In the last 50 years, poor fishing practices have caused an incredible decline in fish abundance. As a result, the industry actually earns $50 billion/yr less less than it could. Our lack of foresight endangers the future of big fish, particularly those that are difficult to farm.

"The big fish, the bill fish, the groupers, the big things will be gone. It is happening now. If things go unchecked, we'll have a sea full of little horrible things that nobody wants to eat. We might end up with a marine junkyard dominated by plankton.” - Dr. Daniel Pauly

It's up to us to make the right consumer choices. Instead of eating Atlantic bluefin tuna whose population has been reduced 90% since the 70's, masticate on some yellowfin/blackfin tuna, albacore, or wahoo (that's what you'll be saying when you try it). Replace Chilean sea bass (fishing of which threatens many other species) with Alaskan sablefish, aka black cod.  Farm-raised shrimp and sturgeon are great alternatives to their wild counterparts. For more subs to popular seafood, check this out.  Below are some notes to guide your seafood/sushi decisions.

Thanks to Greenpeace's supermarket seafood sustainability scorecard, Target was honored for their eco-consciousness, and retailers like Trader Joe's and Costco were motivated to increase the sustainability of their stocks.

Sustainable Seafood Guidelines (courtesy of the Monteray Bay Aquarium). Download regional pocket guides here.

Sustainable Sushi Guidelines

Damned Dams

Dams have been supplying water and controlling floods for hundreds of years. But what happens with they fail?

In 1889, the Johnstown dam in Pennsylvania broke, killing over 2,200 people. Above is an illustration of the break and a picture of the devastation. Currently, roughly 5% (or 4,400) of dams in the US are considered safety hazards.  Fixing these dams would cost billions of dollars, money that we don't have. Therefore, in order to deal with these comprised dams, officials have reduced holding levels and developed evacuation plans.. After the Gulf oil spill, I'm not convinced these interim measures are enough. A huge unexpected storm (the result of climate change, of course) could open the floodgates.

From an environmental standpoint, the construction of dams was a horrible idea. They disturb essential habitat and block paths for fish like salmon, which swim up river to reproduce. They disrupt natural erosion and sedimentation cycles, destroy wetlands, and alter temperature regimes.

However, dams made place for cities to flourish, and if they were to break, thousands of lives would be at risk. Also, the billions of gallons of water released from a break would not only carry an enormous amount of debris and sediment but also accumulated lead, mercury,  PCBs, nitrogen, and (guess what.) invasive species. The environmental consequences could be devastating to areas downstream, and a return to the ecosystems of old may be impossible. However, it has been shown that dam removal can help restore wetlands, temperatures, and salmon pathways.

So, do we remove the dams? Do we wait for something to happen? Or, do we fix them?